Top 10 Best "Christmas Stories" Books

Jessica Ashmore has brought her young daughter to the Colorado high plains in the winter of 1933. A penniless widow, Jessica is hoping for employment as an office nurse. Though the job she wants is no longer available, she is grateful to at least be offered a temporary position taking care of stroke victim Abby MacKay at Culdee Creek Ranch. Abby's son Sean, an embittered WWI veteran who many view as a coward and deserter, is none-too-pleased with the arrangement--and he doesn't hide it very well. But Christmas is a time of love and forgiveness, and their antagonism starts to give way to far deeper feelings. Can Sean and Jessica ever hope for a life together? Will they be able to find that one perfect gift?

A rich anthology, stylishly packaged and brimming over with heartwarming drama, seasonal merriment, and unexpected thrills. The author, who has been creating original and highly praised collections for thirty years, believes in bringing new energy to the term "old-fashioned." That is to say, she is a reader's reader who loves to uncover those stories written in another time that surprise us by their vibrancy, by the way they move us or make us laugh, while also reminding us of our most deeply held values and our ideals.

Among the writers included are such familiar classic masters as Bret Harte, Mark Twain, Sarah Orne Jewett, Saki, O. Henry, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The real idea, however, is the crafting of a book that is as unexpected in its roster of authors as it is in its effect on our hearts and spirits.

Pet grief and pet loss are very real issues facing many people - especially empty nesters. Find help her in Deb's retelling of her experience with Apollo through their struggle canine cancer, using every possible means to help Apollo live a longer, better life.

Apollo's Creed by Deb Estes - highly recommended.